The Horner Wood installation finally came down yesterday – after nearly four weeks of enduring high winds and heavy rain – but it’s been a resounding success. To see the photographs become a part of the ancient woodland that originally inspired them felt incredibly special. One of the most exciting elements of the artwork, was the way that it changed with the prevailing conditions; bright sunny days or cold eerie nights, every change brought something new to the work. Installing the artwork outdoors was a fairly high risk strategy (for a multitude of reasons!) but at the end of the day, it really did encapsulate the festival theme of ‘Landscape: flux and flow’.
What wonderful photographic workshops we’ve hosted at Minehead Library during Somerset Art Weeks; three inspiring events, thirty enthusiastic people, and lots of beautiful lumen prints.
It’s been an absolute pleasure talking to people about my project during Somerset Art Weeks. I’ve had some really wonderful conversations about the work both in Horner Wood and at the related exhibition in the library. In addition to the evening Private View, I’ve also been interviewed by Jenna Myles for her new radio station ‘Be Somerset’ and I’ve hosted an evening walk and talk for the local Beaver Scouts group. Having been able to engage viewers in conversations about temperate rainforests, lichens and climate change has been incredibly rewarding!
It’s Somerset Art Weeks. Have you seen my Arborea exhibition in Minehead Library? It’s a lovely place to visit while waiting for the rain to stop!
We’ve been installing ‘Arborea’ at Horner Wood this week. Thankfully, we’ve had beautiful weather and everything’s going smoothly. I’m so excited to see my ideas for this project becoming a reality! And I’m incredibly grateful to the teams at Somerset Art Works and the Holnicote Estate (National Trust) for making this happen. Please come and walk along the outdoor trail at Horner Wood during Somerset Art Weeks: Saturday 21st September to Sunday 6th October 2024.
My exhibition prints are ready to hang later this week. I’ve got six photographs to install and each one is 1.5m high! These images from my Arborea project will be on show at Minehead Library as part of Somerset Art Weeks: Saturday 21st September to Sunday 6th October.
Library opening times: Mon/Tue/Thur 9am-5:30pm, Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm. Closed Wed/Sun. I’m also running a couple of sun printing workshops, which can be booked via the library.
Quality control in progress! My office and studio are both packed full of photographic prints ready for installation next week. The fabric prints make wonderful decorations but it’ll be really nice not to have to duck under them every time I want to find a piece of equipment!
Testing fabric prints in the landscape! Not long to go now until we install these prints in Horner Wood ready for Somerset Art Weeks: Saturday 21st September to Sunday 6th October 2024.
Experiments in focus stacking! This is a photographic technique that I’ve had to learn for the project. Some of my printed images are actually composites of 50+ photographs! It’s a really useful process but it can also be incredibly time consuming.
I’ve been busy mapping out my photographic installation at Horner Wood in Exmoor. Photographs from my series Arborea will be printed onto outdoor fabric and then installed along a woodland trail during Somerset Art Weeks.
Obviously, this all has to be planned very carefully so I’ve been working with the National Trust to design something that will work in harmony with the woodland. I hope that by embedding these artworks in the ecosystem that inspired them, I can emphasise the importance of restoring and reconnecting ancient forest landscapes in the region.
Here are a few close-up photographs of my lichen/crystal experiments.
The series Arborea takes windfall lichens from ancient Exmoor woodlands and soaks them in a chemical solution until crystals form. This artistic experiment mimics the prevailing ecological and climatic crises; where human actions are influencing geological processes with unpredictable consequences.
Photographs from this project will be installed along a walking trail at Horner Wood and exhibited in Minehead Library during Somerset Art Weeks.
Installation planning! Just two months until Somerset Art Weeks so I’ve been walking along the main trail at Horner Wood looking for likely places to hang my photographic prints. With the help of Somerset Art Works and the National Trust (Holnicote Estate), I’ve identified and measured a few really great spots! Now, I need to start mapping where each image will go…
I’m getting a bit obsessed with lichens now! Did you know that they’re actually composite organisms; a special association between fungus, photosynthetic partner (algae/cyanobacteria) and other yeasts/bacteria? They’re particularly diverse in South West England’s Atlantic woodlands (they love our damp climate!). And some Exmoor sites have supported woodlands – and their lichen assemblages – for thousands of years.
I’ve been exploring the spectacular temperate rainforest at Horner Wood this week. Many of the lichens growing in Exmoor’s ancient woodlands are globally scarce, and some are important indicators of air quality and habitat biodiversity. These local landscapes are the inspiration behind my project ‘Arborea’.
Supported by Somerset Art Works with funding from Arts Council England. This project was delivered in partnership with the Holnicote Estate (National Trust) and Minehead Library.
Elizabeth Woodger 
You must be logged in to post a comment.